Maybach Edition 125! Unveiled at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show: Official Pictures and Specs

Despite the fact that Maybach’s future is unsure, in the year of the 125th anniversary of the automobile Maybach is displaying the Edition 125! at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.

Even though the Maybach developers have increased the output of the Maybach 57 S and 62 S by 13 kW (18 hp) to 463 kW (630 hp), they were able to reduce the consumption figures (from 16.4 to 15.8 l/100 km) and the CO2 output (from 390 to 368 g/km CO2). The output of the 57 and 62 models remained unchanged, whilst consumption (15.0 as opposed to 15.9 l/100 km) and CO2 output (350 as opposed to 383 g/km) was also cut here. All the Maybach twelve-cylinder engines meet the EU5 standard/LEV2.

This one-off model comes with the special Tahiti Black/ Patagonia Silver paint job and laser-engraved light motif in the front armrest, which represents the alluring double-M in a curved triangle illuminated from inside. The other new features include a glove compartment lid embroidered with the signature of Wilhelm Maybach, silver-coloured topstitching, trim in silver carbon fibre/black piano lacquer, matt black 20-inch wheels with high-sheen spokes plus a newly styled radiator grille.

In addition to that, Maybach models, 57 and 62, also benefitrestyled, horizontally structured bumper trim gives the Maybach saloons an even broader look. Daytime driving lights featuring LED technology and bordered with a chrome insert have been integrated into the outer air intakes. 

According to the manufacturer, the new exterior mirrors with optimised aerodynamics for less driving noise harmonise with the striking front, whilst their large surface means improved vision. Dark red tail lights and chrome trim used on the handle in the boot lid lend the end section a powerful, distinguished look. 

The interior comes with enhanced craftsmanship of the seats for all models. The look of the seat upholstery layout has been refined and given additional piping. On request the piping can also be hand-braided or adorned with valuable SWAROVSKI® ELEMENTS. In the upper part of the seat backrest a redesigned badge in 925 sterling silver with “MAYBACH MANUFAKTUR” lettering is an impressive indication of the great love of detail and serves as a reminder of the prestigious environment in which one is travelling. 

Beside all these, for the very first time there is an extremely high-quality flacon perfume atomiser available on request, having been developed exclusively by Maybach, limited to just 100 units. As an option a large, high-resolution cinema screen with a 19-inch diagonal can now be fitted to the centre of the partition in the Maybach 62 models, as an alternative to the 9.5‑inch monitors in the rear available until now. If required Maybach will also fit the vehicles which have a partition – which, incidentally, can now also be personalised with motifs of the customer’s choosing – with an overview camera, via which the rear passengers are able to keep an eye on the traffic in front of them without being seen themselves – even with an opaque partition window. 

No details about pricing were released, but stay tuned for news.-speedlux.com

Opel RAK e Could Sell for $10,000: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

 Opel's RAK e electric tandem two-seater "is a very serious concept," says General Motors Europe boss Nick Reilly, adding that the company is investigating production feasibility and believes the car could go on sale for around $10,000.

The RAK e has a range of 60 miles and a top speed of 75 mph and can accelerate to 62 mph in less than 13 seconds. It weighs only 836 pounds despite a core structure made from high-strength steels rather than the composites and aluminum that would usually be used in a car like this. The rest of it is made from "a strategic choice of composite materials," says lead designer Richard Shaw, and it's "very rigid." The car, he adds, has been designed "with production in mind."

Though a four-wheeler, the RAK e's rear track is very narrow, a pair of wheels attached to what could be the world's narrowest live axle, mounted in unit with a single swing arm. Reilly says that "we started with one big wheel, but it's got two wheels because of the mass of the second passenger, and for stability." The front suspension is double wishbone, the springs lying longitudinally behind the wishbones for packaging reasons.

The RAK e's roof canopy pivots on a parallelogram mechanism to allow access to the cockpit, while the steering wheel and column rise to ease access for the driver. A central steering column that bisects the pedals means that drivers will left-foot brake, kart-style.

Reilly is keen to see whether the RAK e can provide a replacement for the now-abandoned electric version of the company's city car, which has been scrapped for cost reasons. Pricey batteries are also an obstacle for the RAK e project.

"We've got to work on costs," says Reilly, and "we've got to refine it and do it right." But it's clear that this tandem electric car can be sold for considerably less than an electric conversion of a conventional car.

"We want to show it to a few governments and see if they're serious about EVs," he says. If they are, and GM Europe can overcome the technological and manufacturing challenges posed by this car, we could very likely see it as an unusual sister EV to the Ampera.

Whether it could be offered with the Chevy Volt in the U.S. remains to be seen. So far, Opel has only thought about the RAK e in a European context.

The RAK e name comes from the rocket-propelled Opel RAK 2 driven by Adam Opel's grandson Fritz in 1928, with the e in this concept's name standing for electric and experimental.

Inside Line says: The RAK e, the Audi Urban Concept, VW's single-seat NILS concept and Peugeot's earlier electric EV1 two-seater all suggest a growing enthusiasm for small, radical city cars like this. Let's hope at least one manufacturer is brave enough.-insideline.com

The new Defender? Land Rover unveils DC-100 Concepts in Frankfurt

Land Rover has taken the wraps off its already controversial DC100 Concept in Frankfurt ... and it has a stablemate - the convertible DC100 Sport. The Concepts are intended to float new ideas and spark debate on the design of the next-gen Defender which is slated for production 2015. Land Rover has also tossed-up some interesting possibilities as to what sort of high-tech kit might find a home in future models.

Design-wise the stated goal is to capture "the inherent simplicity and reassurance of the original short-wheelbase Land Rover" - we'll let you be the judge of that. The familiar short overhangs and near-vertical panels are there along with 22-inch alloy wheels. The angled windscreen and raked front end are the biggest departures from past design language, that is, apart from the a canvas roof and cut-down wind-screens on the DC100 Sport.

Inside there's three in the front bench seating and the outboard passenger seat can be folded away to boost carrying capacity. Land Rover says interior materials have been chosen with sustainability and durability in mind and the DC100 Sport (which let's face it is pretty unDefender-like anyway) gets the added-injection of leather trim. Seat cushions and to line the footwells and rear load space also feature "an almost indestructible textile" used in spacesuits called "Superfabric".

On the gear side of the equation, the Concepts include a "Terrain-i scanning" for assisting with off-road navigation, always-on telematics and a sonar system called "Wade Aid" which detects the depth of the water you are crossing and works out the optimum gear, speed, ride height and engine revs required.

The intelligent mapping system builds a 3D visualization of the surrounding terrain using a headlamp-mounted scanner and cameras mounted on each corner and the vehicle can react to potential problems ahead by, for example, changing the ride-height to increase approach and departure angles.

The roof of the DC100 roof is equipped with solar panels to supplement power supply to on-board systems while both Concepts feature built-in induction charging stations and future paint technologies (when they arrive) would also be used to give the vehicles self-cleaning and self- repair capabilities. And the bit we really like - a button-operated, electro-mechanical spiked tire system that sees air injected into pods moulded into the tread to create extra grip (and make snow chains a thing of the past). A ruggedized removable touchscreen tablet housed in the dash would control navigation, audio and climate and double-as a navigation device when on foot. The Meridian speaker system is also removable so you can stream tunes straight to your campsite.

There's also a set of RFID "Leisure Keys" that can be built into wearable items like watches. Using this would enable the main key fob to be left in the glovebox at which point it would deactivate and defer lock and unlock functions to the RFID chip.

Land Rover says the DC100 Concepts would use 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol and diesel powerplants with hybrid and plug-in capabilities with an eight-speed transmission and a "Driveline Disconnect" system that physically decouples the rear axle to save fuel when all-wheel drive is not required.

Finally, "Park Assist" functionality would enable the vehicle to parallel park with minimal input from the driver.

Reaction to our earlier story on the pre-show announcement of the DC100 suggests that Land Rover could have its work cut out in terms of pleasing Defender devotees with the new design. Gizmag commenter Rodrigo Beja sums up the prevailing sentiment nicely - "It never was meant to be the weekend playcar (DC100 sport) ... What I see in the DC100 is just another fashion design that could have been produced by any brand."-gizmag.com

Kenderaan Elektrik Nasional Bakal Di Pandu Uji Di Putrajaya Melalui Usahasama PROTON, KeTTHA Dan MITI

PROTON hari ini menyerahkan sebanyak tiga unit model Saga ‘EV’ dan lima unit Exora ‘REEV’ kepada Pejabat Perdana Menteri serta empat lagi Kementerian Kerajaan iaitu Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau Dan Air (KeTTHA), Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa Dan Industri (MITI), Kementerian Pengangkutan (MOT) dan Kementerian Kewangan (MOF). Proton Saga ‘EV’ merupakan sebuah kenderaan elektrik, di mana ‘EV’ merupakan singkatan kepada ‘Electric Vehicle’. Proton Exora ‘REEV’ pula adalah sebuah kenderaan elektrik penambah jarak, di mana ‘REEV’ merupakan singkatan kepada perkataan ‘Range Extender Electric Vehicle’.

 

 

Penyerahan kenderaan-kenderaan tersebut memenuhi fasa pertama Program Kenderaan ‘Fleet Test’ yang merupakan satu usahasama di antara PROTON, KeTTHA dan MITI dalam membantu usaha Kerajaan menilai potensi teknologi hijau dalam pembangunan sistem dan infrastuktur kenderaan elektrik dan hibrid di Malaysia. Program ini juga bertujuan mendapatkan maklum balas serta data mengenai penggunaan kenderaan elektrik PROTON tersebut merangkumi sistem, teknologi dan rekabentuk kenderaan serta tingkah laku pengguna.

Pengerusi PROTON YBhg. Dato’ Sri Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh telah menyerahkan kenderaan-kenderaan tersebut kepada Perdana Menteri Malaysia YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak serta Menteri-menteri berkenaan yang mewakili kementerian masing-masing di satu majlis penyerahan yang diadakan di Pejabat Perdana Menteri, Putrajaya. 

Turut hadir di majlis berkenaan adalah mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia yang juga merupakan Penasihat PROTON, YABhg. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad serta Pengarah Urusan Kumpulan PROTON, YBhg. Dato’ Sri Hj. Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir yang telah memberikan penerangan kepada YAB Perdana Menteri dan barisan Menteri kabinet berkenaan Program Kenderaan ‘Fleet Test’ serta kenderaan elektrik yang diserahkan. 

Bersama-sama kenderaan elektrik, PROTON juga turut menyediakan kemudahan stesen pengecas (‘charging station’) kenderaan-kenderaan tersebut di premis Pejabat Perdana Menteri serta keempat-empat Kementerian yang terlibat. Sistem pengecas untuk kegunaan rumah juga akan dibekalkan kepada pemandu-pemandu kenderaan terbabit yang akan dikenalpasti daripada Pejabat Perdana Menteri dan keempat-empat Kementerian tersebut. 

“Usahasama kami dengan pihak Kerajaan khususnya melalui pihak KeTTHA dan MITI dalam melaksanakan Program Kenderaan ‘Fleet Test’ ini adalah salah satu komitmen PROTON dalam menyokong objektif dan inisiatif Kerajaan untuk mengurangkan kadar pelepasan karbon dioksida oleh kenderaan dan memelihara masa depan alam sekitar. Penggunaan kenderaan elektrik yang meluas di Negara kita juga, sudah pastinya akan dapat mengurangkan pergantungan pengguna terhadap petrol dan ini akan dapat membantu pihak Kerajaan dalam mengurangkan perbelanjaan subsidi bahan api secara keseluruhan,” menurut Pengerusi PROTON, Dato’ Sri Mohd. Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh 

“Selain daripada itu juga, saya percaya inisiatif ini akan dapat menyumbang ke arah pembangunan modal insan dan kepakaran Negara dalam bidang teknologi automotif berasaskan sumber tenaga alternatif. Dalam aspek pembangunan industri automotif pula, inisiatif ini juga akan memberi peluang kepada Malaysia secara amnya dan PROTON secara khususnya, untuk menerajui pembangunan teknologi automotif hijau di rantau ASEAN dan menjadi hab serantau bagi kenderaan berteknologi elektrik dan hibrid,” menurut Dato’ Sri Mohd. Nadzmi lagi.

Daripada sejumlah lapan kenderaan yang diserahkan oleh PROTON, satu unit Exora REEV akan diberikan kepada Pejabat Perdana Menteri dan setiap Kementerian Kerajaan yang terlibat, manakala khusus bagi KeTTHA, MITI dan MOT, setiap Kementerian tersebut akan turut menerima satu unit Saga ‘EV’. 

“PROTON berbangga kerana pada hari ini kenderaan prototaip Saga ‘EV’ dan Exora ‘REEV’ telah sedia dipandu-uji dan kami tidak sabar untuk mendapatkan maklumbalas mengenai penggunaannya daripada semua pihak yang terlibat dalam menggunakan kenderaan tersebut sepanjang program ini. Maklumbalas ini akan membantu kami dalam melaksanakan penambahbaikan dan pengubahsuaian yang sewajarnya pada kenderaan-kenderaan tersebut dan ini pastinya amat diperlukan sebelum pengeluaran dan pengkomersilan kenderaan-kenderaan tersebut dilakukan kelak. PROTON amat berterima kasih di atas sokongan pihak Kerajaan kepada PROTON dalam melaksanakan Program Kenderaan ‘Fleet Test’ ini,” menurut Dato’ Sri Hj. Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Pengarah Urusan Kumpulan PROTON.

Frankfurt 2011: 2012 Toyota Prius Family

Toyota unveils their facelifted 2012 Prius, new Prius Plug-in, and the Prius V at the Frankfurt Auto Show. In case some of you didn't notice (we didn't at first), Toyota has unveiled their facelifted 2012 Prius at the Frankfurt Auto Show. When looking at the refreshed hybrid, it's hard to tell at first what exactly was done to justify calling it a facelift.Specifically, Toyota made a few minor nip/tucks to the exterior and interior and has also introduced a variety of multimedia systems. The exterior receives a revised front bumper and an enlarged lower grille.
There are also new clear lens headlamps with an updated LED lamp configuration.Daytime running lamps have also been incorporated into the bumper, door mirrors now have a power-folding function, and the taillights have been redesigned. Toyota has also come up with fresh alloy wheel options. The interior, according to the Japanese automaker, has been updated with a new color scheme, now going from dark grey to black, new silver inserts, and new upholsteries. Also noticeable, but not extremely relevant, is that the push start button color has been changed to have a hybrid blue hue.
More noticeable is the revised center console design, where the information display has been updated with a 16 gradation-step Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD) that will supposedly have a clearer and more three-dimensional display.No changes have been made under the hood and no official pricing details have been released. In addition to the standard Prius, Toyota has also put on display the Prius V and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Full details of the V have already been revealed, but the bigger news is the plug-in variant, which is set to go up against the Chevrolet Volt.
The Prius Plug-in Hybrid represents Toyota's latest development of their modular Hybrid Synergy Drive platform. The plug-in has 134hp from a lithium-ion battery with a high-capacity of 4.4kWh and is mated to a gasoline engine.  With three driving modes (HV, EV, and EV-City), the Prius Plug-in can go up to 14.3 miles on electric power alone and can return up to 134.5 mpg.  Toyota claims their main market for the Prius family will again consist of Japan, the U.S, and Europe. The Prius V, for example, is expected to do quite well in Japan and Europe where MPV-like vehicles are more common.
However, extensive research was done by Toyota as to what U.S. buyers are looking for in a family van. As of now, the Prius V is the only hybrid seven seat people carrier available.  The updated and new Prius lineup will soon be joined with even more Toyota hybrids, as the automaker has also announced their plans of introducing 10 new hybrids by 2015. -carbuzz.com